Technology advances continue to support people's need to stay connected to one another more readily and more quickly. Whether it is the desire to keep and share lists of books that have been read, comments about movies that have been seen, music that has been listened to, or television shows of interest, more than ever, people wish to be able to share their comments with others in real-time as they experience life. In the case of television, for example, one of the joys of watching television is discussing with one's friends the juicy bits of a favorite show or the latest television program.
Microblogging and social networking is increasing in popularity as a way for people to send one another short situational, status-oriented messages. This technology has the advantage of allowing people to communicate readily and quickly as events in their life occur. According to Wikipedia, Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send short text-based messages or updates, referred to as “tweets”, to the Twitter website via a third-party application, such as a short message service (SMS) available on a cellular phone, for example, instant messaging, or other third-party application such as Facebook or Joost. JoostBook is plug-in for Joost, a system for distributing TV shows and other forms of video over the Web (Internet) using peer-to-peer technology. Joost requires, however, that a user watch television on their computer, since it has an interface that integrates with computers, such as a PC or a Mac.
Current microblogging and social networking approaches, then, do not allow for a viewer of a TV program, music or other media to readily autoblog in real-time about programs being viewed without use of a computer. Thus, a viewer watching television or listening to music in the ordinary way, i.e. with the television screen and remote controller or with a music program controlled by a remote controller, cannot readily participate in current microblogging opportunities.